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Popcorn Stand Represents A True Small Biz

No one in Granite Falls is old enough to remember the exact year the stand went up, but sometime between the ‘Roaring ’20s’ and the Great Depression the corner of 7th and Prentice started popping.

“It’s been there as long as I can remember and that’s a long time ago,” laughed Jim Finnes, one of Granite Falls’ senior citizens. As a boy Finnes remembers stopping at the popcorn stand with his family. “We only came to town on Saturday night and if we could find a nickel, down to the popcorn stand we’d go.”

Launched by brothers Jule and Fred Ernston, the popcorn stand changed hands a half-dozen times before the Kiwanis club stepped in. Last year the club raised nearly $10,000 selling popcorn and root beer. The stand is open seven nights a week through mid-September, from 7:30 to 3:30 p.m. It’s staffed by Kiwanis volunteers.

Who knew there was still money in selling something as simple and affordable as popcorn?